Who Do I Believe?
by Xx.Kari.Ry.xX
Summary: People keep telling me things. An crazy old guy tells me I'm a wizard. A gorgeous blonde boy tells me I should hate my brother. A snakelike-guy keeps forcing his way into my dreams and telling me I should join him... But who do I believe? (2 OC's, BTW characters are slightly OOC)
1. We're Wizards!

**PLEASE READ! (even though it's long)**

**Author's Note: This is my first Harry Potter fanfiction and I'm not very good at making them so just bare with me please. Reviews will make following chapters better. I'm warning you now that I don't know more than what's going to happen in the first few chapters so I'm sorry if updates are slow. I'll try for one a week but I'll probably slip up somewhere in there. I don't know where this story will go, I really don't, so I'm rating it "M" just to be safe. After the third chapter, I won't give another chapter until I get a certain amount of reviews. (5 then 10 then 15... 20... 25... etc.)**

**Also, this follows pretty much nothing of the storyline except for character names and the whole Voldemort-has-to-kill-Harry thing. WARNING: If you are particularly a fan of Harry, DO NOT READ THIS as this centrals on one of my original characters, Emmalina, falling in love with Malfoy (despite her sister's wishes) and LARGELY ostracizes Harry, Hermione and Ron after a while (although it DOES get better for you HP fans after a little bit because I love Harry and Draco equally).**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but my own, admittedly damaged, strange, and crazy imagination.**

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When I found out I was a wizard I was instantly terrified. You see, I've never been separated from my twin sister for more than eight hours at a time. The headmaster of the school, Albus Dumbledore, came to my house and revealed to me that Eleanora (my twin) and I were adopted by my parents because our BIRTH parents were killed by someone he calls "Voldemort." At first he said that, with my parents being who they were (which I don't know because I don't even know they're names) I'm supposedly very powerful. My sister, though she'd "never displayed any indication that she is part of the wizarding world" got his approval with her wit and quick tongue.

Dumbledore also told us that we had a brother who also goes to Hogwarts, some wizard school or whatever, a year above us that looks A LOT like us. When we asked who it was, he said that we'd find out soon enough. He was about to say something else but then a voice behind me said, "Why were we given away when HE wasn't?" He'd looked over my shoulder but I didn't bother; I knew it was Ella.

"When your parents died," he'd told us, "they left a will. In it, they said that they're one-year-old son was to be given to his aunt and uncle, who were muggles, but your mother, knowing her sister would only take one child, didn't want to separate her twins so she requested that you two, only three weeks old at the time, be put in a muggle orphanage. Your brother, since we knew exactly where he was, started Hogwarts at eleven, the earliest age you can be-"

"So he's sixteen? 'Cause we're fifteen..." My sister had questioned.

"Yes, he's in his sixth year and-"

"When can we meet him?" She'd interrupted excitedly.

"Eleanora." I had said, a quiet warning.

"What?" She'd asked innocently. I merely roll my eyes and look back at the headmaster.

"If you choose to become a student at Hogwarts, you will go stay at The Burrow, which is the home of a wizarding family that has agreed to let you stay with them. Your brother is there. He's been informed that he has two sisters and he and his friends are very excited to meet the two of you. So, what do you say?"

"Yes!"

"No."

My sister had looked at me and said, "Nessie? We're MAGICAL. We have a BROTHER. What the HELL ARE YOU THINKING?"

"Later." I had told her, not one to talk in front of people.

"No," she'd said "NOW."

"We don't know this kid, we don't know those people, we can't leave our parents, or our friends, you're sick and I can't protect you as well in an unfamiliar environment."

"I'm FIFTEEN! I don't need my sister to protect me." She then had turned to Dumbledore. "Does she have to be there in order for me to go?"

"No..." he'd replied hesitantly.

Turning back to me, she had said, "If you don't go, I'll go alone."

"I'll go!" I'd replied immediately. She'd smiled.

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**A/N: I'm not requiring review limit because I have no idea whether or not people will actually read this so I'll put up the second chapter as soon as I finish it... And I bet you guys can guess who their brother is :)**


	2. Meeting My Brother

**A/N: This takes place about an hour after the first chapter, in present time so Emmalina will be describing events as they happen, Dumbledore just disapparated them to right outside the borders of The Burrow... Just saying in case you don't get that from the dialogue...**

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"This is The Burrow?" My sister asks Dumbledore.

"Yes." He replies, leading us up the large hill. As we make our way to the door, I take in my surroundings.

The Burrow had a small yard at the front of the house, with a garage and a chicken coop and a sign in the ground read "The Burrow" by what appeared to be the main entrance. The building itself had several crooked stories attached to it. Four or five chimneys dotted the roof of the house, and the entire building looked like it could fall apart at any moment.

We reach the door and I grab my sister's left hand with my right and pull her next to me, behind Dumbledore.

"Please wait for my signal to talk, " I whisper to her, "I'm here for you, not our brother, and I don't trust these people." She nods and squeezes my hand in response, knowing that I really am doing this for her and, though she knows I would never demand it, she feels as though she owes me for this.

Dumbledore knocks on the door, which is opened a moment later by a portly, red haired, lady in an apron.

"Albus!" She exclaims, causing me to instinctively shift my hand back, moving my sister to a more hidden position. The woman looks at us and continues, "And you two must be the twins! Well, come in, come in. I won't bite."

I'm not so sure about that last part...

Dumbledore steps back as the woman moves to let us through the door.

"I must be off," he proclaims, "I've got other business to attend to." He sets off down the hill but I don't dare turn my back to the woman in order to watch him, like my over-curious sister. The woman motions us forward and leads us through the house. I hear quiet voices that gradually get louder until we turn the final corner and they see us. The voices go perfectly silent, which is strange considering there are 9 people at the eyes roam over the lively group and I see a pair of cute, redheaded twins. I squeeze my sisters hand and look back at her, only to see her staring intently at something. I follow her gaze and I see the boy she's obviously looking at.

He has unruly blackwaves piled onto his head and bright green eyes, both of which match my sister and I (except, of course, the fact that our hair is waist length.) Even though he's sitting down, I can tell he's skinny and lithe, though it's also obvious that he doesn't know it. His hair is in such a way at the moment that I can see a hint of a scar. This is our brother.

I feel my sister's hand release mine only to close around my arm, along with the other hand. She clutches to me, stepping slightly behind me in her sudden nervousness as I look over at the woman then back at the people around the table. Then I speak.

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**A/N: I know, I know, a cliffhanger. I just want to see how many people like this story. As promised, I'm not going to require reviews but they ARE amazing. AND, you might be able to alter my storyline. If enough people say that they want the same change then I'll do it. (hint, hint)**


	3. IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE

**A/N: Hey guys, Kari here, sorry to get your hopes up for a new chapter, I know, it's mean, but I just HAVE TO make sure you guys know some things. (It's important to know that today is July 30, 2013)**

**1) In less than a month, I'm starting Freshman year. I'm going to be EXTREMELY busy but I will try my hardest to update when I can. I promise I WILL NOT abandon this or my other 2 stories so, no matter how long you wait, know that I WILL continue at some point.**

**2) I'm adding this author's note to "I'm Not Insane" (The Mortal instruments FFn), "In With The Outsiders" (Outsiders FFn), and "Who Do I Believe" (Harry Potter FFn) so, for those of you who get an update when I post ANYTHING (thank you, BTW) you only have to read this once.**

**So sorry for giving you false hope about a new chapter but I'm taking my remaining time off school to write as much as possible so I can have chapters to update regularly. I love you guys and I love reviews so you guys leaving reviews would be AMAZING! I have questions:**

**For INI; Who do you think Alec should choose? Jace or Magnus?**

**For WDIB; What do think of Evanessa (Nessie) so far? Bitchy and demanding or sweet and protective? A combination of the two?**

**For IWTO; Who do you like better, Michael or Emyle?**

**Please leave reviews on the respective stories and I'll try to respond to them, also, if you have any ideas or suggestions for things in the stories (even corrections, if I get something wrong, thank you to the reviewer [whose name I forget] who pointed out that HP's hair isn't curly, I fixed that) just leave a review please.**


	4. The Train

**A/N: I AM SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING WHEN I SAID I WOULD! I KEPT GETTING DISTRACTED! PLEASE DON'T HATE ME!**

**1) Evanessa (Nessie) talks more than she's comfortable with in this chapter but only for her sister, she goes back into the character I created for her soon enough. Also, she's not nearly as bitchy as she sounds at first. Harry, as well, has a slight personality change. He's a tad bit more perceptive of the girls because, as they are his sisters, he's... I don't know... More intuitive I guess? as to how to read their expressions and everything. He's not nearly as dense in this as he is in JKR's books.**

**2) I'm also creating a rule where, if underage wizards use minor spells in a place full of adult wizards and no muggles, it can go undetected as long as it's a rare occurrence and nothing more than a simple conjuring spell or unlocking spell.**

**3) There is some swearing in this chapter but only in my OC's inner dialogue.**

**4) If you read the first 2 chapters before July 30, 2013, you should reread them because I've changed things in both of them (as mentioned in my A/N last "chapter").**

**Please go check out (remove spaces) ww w. fanfiction s/ 956378 5/1 /**

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"I was told by Dumbledore that my sister and I are to stay with you until school starts and that he would come collect us to get our supplies for the aforementioned location. If we are to be staying here until then, I must get a few things straight. First, my sister is to be called Eleanora and I am to be known as Emmalina. We will be called nothing else, except by each other, unless we give you permission otherwise. Second, she is here because she has an endless curiosity and, at the moment, she has taken quite the fascination with our supposed 'brother'. I am here merely because I won't allow her to be alone, for she is very sick. Thirdly, if any of you, and I mean_ ANY_ of you lay a hand on her, even if she wants and asks for it, there _will _

be hell to pay." I finish my speech only to see wide eyes and, seeing this also and expecting conflict, my sister hides behind me more. While talking, I had used my low, smooth-as-silk warning tone that spikes fear through even my sister when it's directed at her. She's yet to master it, although she doesn't try very hard.

A girl, one unlike all the others in appearance, with curly brown hair and eyes to match, stands and approaches us. I push Ella and myself back a step and narrow my eyes at her. She stops and holds her hands up in front of her.

"I'm Hermione Granger," she tells us, "I'm muggle-born so I know how shocked you must be by all of this but you can trust me when I say that you are perfectly safe here. Harry is your brother so he won't bother you or your sister and the rest of the boys respect him enough that they won't touch the two of you either. I promise." When she finishes, everything is silent for a long moment as I decide how to answer the girl. That is, until my sister suddenly doubles over, sliding to her knees, coughing uncontrollably. In an instant, I've pulled a black cloth out of my pocket and have it pressed over her mouth to catch the blood she coughs up and am on my knees next to her, cradling her against me.

She finally stops and all the remaining strength in her leaves as she leans on me, her eyes closed, shudders passing through her body. I softly hum a childhood song to her and she quickly falls asleep. Once she's out, I carefully tuck the cloth away and pick her up princess style, effortlessly from the many times of having done this before. I look at the woman who brought us in here.

"If I may, I'd like to take her to where she'll be sleeping." I say simply, leaving no room for argument. She looks resistant at first, as though she still wants to ask questions of us, but then seems to think better of it. She just nods and leads me upstairs, with me solely concentrating every ounce of my being on staying calm and not waking the slumbering child, to a room with two beds and two wardrobes in it, the former of which are already made up.

"You'll both be sleeping here," she tells me quietly, "I figured that, since you're twins in a new environment, you'd want to stay together."

"Thank you." I blurt out suddenly, surprising myself. She smiles at me knowingly, though WHAT she knows, I've no idea, and leaves the room, quietly shutting the door behind her. I lay my sister down on the bed and pull the covers out from under her so they cover the sleeping girl. I climb up to lay beside her, on top of the blankets, to wrap my arms around my younger twin's small shoulders. After a couple of hours, there's a quiet knock on the door and I answer with an equally quiet "come in." The door opens and my apparent 'older brother' enters the room. I kiss Eleanora's forehead softly before getting up and moving to 'my' bed, I motion to the seat in front of me and he eagerly sits.

"So, I have two sisters." He announces to me happily. I roll my eyes and give him a 'no-freaking-duh,-Sherlock' look. He laughs and says, "Yeah, I guess I sort of deserve that, of course you would already be aware of that." I feel a smile rise up and, before I can control it, I feel it surface, taking over my features. For some reason, I feel a strange... I don't know... Content-ness? Sense of security? around this boy. It's something I've not felt since my step-father-

No. I won't think of that, I refuse. The boy, Harry, the girl had called him, gives me a worried look.

"What's wrong? You went from slightly amused to hurt and scared in less than a second." He questions. I motion for something to write with and he takes out a long, 10 or 11 inch wooden stick. Seriously? Is that a wand? Not only do we have to be God-damn_ wizards_

but we have to have freaking WANDS too?! Great. Fan-fucking-tastic.

Anyway, he takes his wand and says something under his breath. After a few seconds, some parchment paper, a quill, and some ink fly under the door. I feel my eyes widen involuntarily and I lean forward a little. I point at his wand and catch his eye. Harry hands me the wand and sets the things he... acquired... in front of me. I take the wand and turn it around in my hands a few times.

He's quiet during my perusal and, after several moments, I hand the wand back to him and reach for the quill and paper. In my looping calligraphy, that I've long since perfected, I write:

_I hate talking. I only do it to get my point across in a way that writing won't._

"Why do you hate talking?" He asks me.

_That's a long story for another time._

He nods and opens his mouth to say something but then I hear, "Ness?" Immediately, I shoot up from my seat and kneel by my sister's bedside. She smiles at me and turns on her side so she's facing me. I take her hand.

"What happened?" She asks me. I'm quiet, course, but I tilt my head and look at her. Her eyes flicker between mine for a moment. "Another attack?" I nod and reach up with my free hand to tuck her hair behind her ear. "_Liebling Schwester._" I tell her, barely audible, in German. She smiles and looks at Harry.

"We, my friend, have the best sister in the entire world. Wizard or not." I roll my eyes and Ella sits up, waits a few moments, then stands, with my help of course.

"Maybe you shouldn't be standing up yet..." Harry protests, a worried look on his face.

"I'm fine." She tells him, "This happens all the time and, if it were a bad idea for me to stand, Nessie wouldn't let me do it. She wouldn't even let me sit up. Since, however, she's done neither, I'm fine." Harry hesitates for a moment then replies with a weary 'okay.' That's when my Ella says, "So, are you're gonna tell us all about being a wizard or not?"

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**(2 months later, September 1st, 10:52 am.)**

**(For the purpose of accuracy, some of the dialogue and descriptions are taken directly from Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince which I, sadly, own nothing of.)**

"So you're telling me that my sister and I are to push fully loaded carts, with living animals, mind you, into a solid wall by running head first into said wall. Right?" My sister asks skeptically.

"Yes. That's exactly what we're telling you." Fred, my sister's favorite of the Weasley Twins, tells her with a perfectly straight face. She looks at me, worried, and I give her a small smile and proceed to push my cart, with my fluffy black cat, Shade, in her cage on top of my trunks, into said solid wall. I close my eyes, expecting impact, but open them again when I don't feel myself get smashed against the wall.

I look around and see, just as Harry said, a large, scarlet steam engine next to a platform absolutely filled with people. Children run around as luggage is stored and students, some already in their uniforms, say goodbye to their parents, holding owls' cages, cats and toads in their hands. Some even have their wands out. I've taken to storing mine in one of my black leather boots that I always wear under my jeans. My sister and I had gone to Diagon Alley the second week after our arrival at The Burrow and had gotten our school supplies and wands (mine a 13" oak with a phoenix feather core and Ella's is an 11 1/2" oak with a unicorn tail hair for a core.) We also had gotten all of our robes and books and each of us got a Firebolt which is the same broomstick that Harry has, and animals, me a fluffy black kitten named Shade and Ella, a pitch black baby owl that named Snowy... Don't ask, I've no idea why she chose that.

"Ness, you okay?" I look up and see my sister, Harry, Hermione, and the Weasley's all looking at me. I must have zoned out... I give a swift nod and my sister is about to speak but she's interrupted by the trains whistle. I'm startled to see, as I look around, that the station is nearly emptied and that almost everyone (who needed to) has boarded the train. We hurry on to the train, my sister and I carrying our respective animals' cages, having refused to part with them. Mrs. Weasley and the Twins help my sister and I load our trunks and then we're off.

Immediately, Fred and George see a friend of theirs and leave us, then Hermione and Ron say the need to leave for Prefect duty. My sister asks what a Prefect is and, after a moment of thought, Hermione answers, "Sort of like a Muggle's Hall Monitor at school." before disappearing, Ron at her side. Ginny, as well, sees a friend and follows suit so it's just Harry, Eleanora, and I. Ella, who adores Harry, despite my obvious dislike of the dim-witted boy. Anyway, said boy leads us through the aisleways, everyone staring at him as they pass, saying hello to him and otherwise trying to get his attention. He had told us what had happened at the ministry and who Voldemort is and all that but it is still unnerving to have so many people see us. My sister close to my side and slightly behind me, Shade's cage in my other hand, we finally arrive at a compartment that only has two people in it, a boy and a girl.

We slip in and the girl looks up at me and says, "That's a cute cat. What's her name?" I look at her a moment then nod and my sister answers the girl. "Shade. Sorry, my sister doesn't like talking much. I'm Eleanora and she's Emmalina. We're twins." I roll my eyes and sit, occupying the seat by the window, taking Shade out of her cage and cradling the velvet-soft kitten to my chest, her fur blending with the pitch black hair tumbling over my shoulders and down my back. I tune out the conversation and watch as London passes by us.

I don't know how long it is but soon, Hermione and Ron join us.

"Wish the lunch trolley would hurry up, I'm starving." he states immediately, depositing himself in the seat adjacent to Harry. "Hi, Neville. Hi, Luna. Hi, Twins."

"Hi, Ron!" My sister greets him enthusiastically. I catch his eye and nod my greeting. He scoops my cat out of my arms and Shade purrs as he scratches behind her ears. "Guess what?" He says to Harry, returning his attention to the boy. "Malfoy's not doing his prefect duty. He's just sitting in his compartment with the other Slytherins, we saw him when we passed."

"What did he do when he saw you?" Harry asks him, unfazed.

"The usual." He answers, demonstrating a very rude hand gesture that causes my sister to gasp. "Not like him, though, is it? Well - that is" He repeats said gesture and my sister takes my cat back then hits Ron on the arm before handing Shade back to me. Ron laughs but chooses, wisely, to ignore her "but why isn't he out there bullying first years?"

"Dunno." Harry answers, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Maybe he preferred the inquisitorial Squad-" Hermione's theory is cut off by my sister's question.

"What's that?" She asks.

"We'll explain later." Hermione tells her before looking at the boys again, "Anyway, maybe he preferred the inquisitorial Squad and maybe he thinks being a prefect seems a bit tame after that."

"I don't think so..." Harry begins, "I think he's-" The door to the compartment slides open and a small girl steps in.

"I'm supposed to deliver these to Neville Longbottom and Harry P-Potter." She tells us, stuttering slightly. Once said recipients have the small scrolls in hand, she darts out once more, sliding the door shut behind opens his and takes a moment to read over it. Finally, Ron asks, "What is it?"

"An invitation." Harry answers immediately, as though expecting the question.

"Who's Professor Slughorn?" Neville inquires.

"New teacher. Well, I suppose we'll have to go, won't we?" He answers.

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**A/N:**

**Okay, first, thanks to all of you who continually put up with my erratic updating "pattern" and my long, LONG, author's notes (sorry about that)... Anyway, I just wanna say that I love you guys (and reviews, I love those too, even the mean ones)...**

**Second, which of the twins is your favorite? "Nessie"/"Emmalina" or "Ella"/"Eleanora?" Also, for the Weasley Twins, Fred or George?**


	5. Hogwarts

**A/N: Another chapter, more Nessie and Ella, more Potter, Weasley and Granger... My favorite character appears in this chapter as well... (Since at least 3 new characters appear, you'll have to guess which one is my favorite) Also, please make sure you read the A/N at the bottom... It's somewhat important.**

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About an hour and a half later, Neville returns, sans Harry

"Where's Harry?" Hermione asks.

"I don't know. He said he'd see us later, me and Ginny that is, she was there because Slughorn saw her cast a really good curse, then put on his cloak and went away from us."

"We've got to find him." Ella announces, perfectly serious for the first time in- No! I CAN'T think of him. NO! I shake my head to push away the memories and my sister misinterprets it.

"We HAVE to, Nes! He's our brother, can't you sense that something's wrong?" She asks me, her voice rising a bit. As soon as she points it out I do realize that I feel that way but I drop my eyes to try to hide it from her.

It doesn't work.

"You DO feel it! Hermione, Luna, watch Snowy." She says before standing and pulling me to my feet. I cradle Shade to my chest and follow her through the train as she looks. During this, I've no idea how much time has passed, the train stops and everyone starts leaving. It's almost empty and my sister is frantic because that feeling has only been growing stronger.

Neither of us are aware of anyone coming toward us until the last second. I grab Ella's hand and yank her behind me so the boy runs into me instead of her, knowing the impact would make her lose her breath and have an episode. We both stumble back a step and my sister peers around me. Shade, who'd my sister had somehow had time to scoop away from me, hops back into my arms as I look at the boy curiously.

To my surprise, I find that the pale boy with white-blonde hair and light eyes is actually very handsome. My sister taps my back twice, indicating, unseen, that she likes him too.

"I don't know you and you most certainly aren't first years... Who are you?" he asks in a smooth voice.

I tilt my head to the side and, voice very quiet, I say, "Depends on who's asking."

The boy straightens up and says, "Draco Malfoy. Pure blood. I'm in Slytherin. Now will you tell me who you are?"

In the same voice, I reply, "My name is Emmalina and this is my twin sister Ella."

"I'm the nicer one!" My sister tells him. He smirks, keeping his eyes on me.

"Is that so?"

"She's also more immature, which is where her innocence comes from." I tell him, turning my head slightly to give her a smile. Her eyes are wide and she nods.

"She's right. I am. I'm gonna keep looking for him, Nessie, okay?" I nod and she leaves.

"Nessie?" The boy, Draco, asks, raising an eyebrow.

"My middle name is Evanessa and my sister prefers 'Nessie' over 'Lena' and 'Emma' which is what I'm usually called." I tell him, surprising myself. I'm usually not NEARLY this talkative with new people...

"Which do you prefer?"

"Lena, but she's my sister so she can call me whatever she wants."

"Then how about _I_

call you Lena. That way it's a win-win."

I smile. "Sounds good. So, earlier, you said that you're a pure blood. What does that mean? I know that Slytherin is a house in Hogwarts but I've never heard that term before." I question him.

Draco's eyes widen and he says, "You're not a Mudblood are you?"

"I don't know what that is."

"It's a witch or wizard who has two Muggles for parents. It's disgraceful to be one. I'm a pure blood which means that my entire family are magical. A half blood has some Muggle blood but also some Magical."

"Oh, well I'm a half blood then. My mum, as far as I know, was a Mudblood and my dad was a half blood."

"Good." He says, with obvious relief. He looks around suddenly. "We'd better go, the train is leaving soon."

"I have to wait for Ella and my older brother." I protest. I don't, however, pull away when he grabs my hand and starts pulling me through the train.

"You have a brother?" He asks me.

"Sadly. I just met him and his friends a couple of months ago and, while my sister loves him, I really don't like him at all." I tell him.

"What's his name? What house is he in? Maybe I know him."

"He's in Gryffindor and his name is Harry." I answer. Draco stops, causing me to bump into him and Shade to whine, and turns to look at me.

"Potter? Your brother is Potter?" Wow. Draco must HATE Harry...

"Like I said, I'm not happy about it. The boy is juvenile and annoying, just like his friends." I tell him. He considers me for a moment then smirks and keeps walking, pulling me along. Shade settles back in my arms and purrs. I've smoothed my stride over the years to a graceful walk that causing me and whatever I'm holding to sway gently; that way, I don't wake up Ella after an episode; which is probably why Shade is so happy in my arms.

Finally, we reach a door. He hops down and reaches his hand up to help me. When we're both out, we walk a little and I notice that there are people a little way's away. It's Hermione and Ron. Fantastic.

Seeing us, they start forward and I see their expressions; Hermione is shocked and Ron is enraged.

"Bloody hell Emmalina! What are doing with _him_?!" He asks me, his voice raised to a half-shout. I, of course, don't answer and I take out my wand, flick it, and think_ Flagrate._ The tip of my wand glows red and leaves sparks. I turn to Draco, take a step back and write in the air,

_I rarely ever speak. When I do, it means I either trust you or have no other option._

He nods, wipes the sparks away with his hand, and says, "You want me to explain then?" At my nod, we turn back to Hermione and Ron and Draco says "Not that it's any of your business, Weasley, but she and her sister ran into me on the train as I was leaving. Ella went to find their brother and Lena came with me."

At the expression on Ron's face, Draco's lips turn up in a sneer. Ron opens his mouth to say something when I hear my name. I turn and see Harry leaning out of the doorway. From the scared look on his face, I know it's Ella. I shove Shade into Ron's arms, grabs Draco's hand and run toward them.

I hear her coughing and pour on the speed. I don't even pause before I pull myself onto the train, pulling a cloth out of my robes. My eyes find my sister immediately and I go to her and press the cloth to her lips. Her eyes find mine and her hands come to my wrists, pushing the cloth closer as the coughs shake through her body like convulsions. I maneuver her so that I'm behind her and her head is in my lap, our eyes connected.

Finally, she stops and her eyes start to close. I shake my head and move her to a sitting position. Looking at Draco I say, "Can you wait outside the train so I can hand her down to you?" he replies immediately with, "Sure," and leaves. I gather my sister in my arms and Harry follows me out. I go to my knees at the door and hand her to Draco, who takes her easily in his arms. Hopping off the train, I take my sister back.

"I can carry her, I really don't mind." He protests. I shake my head and am about to answer when my sister murmurs, "My Nessie," before letting her eyes finally slip shut. We walk to the others and Ron and Hermione suddenly start going on and on about blood and broken noses. I look away from my sleeping sister to see them fretting about Harry, who's covered in blood that, in my panic, I hadn't noticed before.

"Will you two shut up already?" I snap at them, the day's events having frayed my nerves. They look at me surprised but are quiet nonetheless. I look at Draco and he, understanding immediately, takes Ella from my arms and I pull out my wand. Pointing it at Harry, the blood disappears and his nose straightens out as I think the spells, _episkey_ and _tergeo_.

That done, I hold my arms out to take my sister and Draco says, "It's a really long way to the castle and the carriages have already left. How about you save your cat from the blood traitor," he shoots a look to Ron, "and I'll carry Ella." I nod after a moment of thought then tilt my head in confusion, my lips forming the words "blood traitor" before I take my cat back and focus on Draco as we all start walking.

"It means a pure blood who likes Muggles. They're just as bad as Mudbloods, in my opinion." Seeing my eyes widen in question and hearing Hermione's noise of protest, he says, "Granger's a Mudblood and Weasley's a blood traitor."

"Don't call her that!" Ron exclaims. "There's nothing wrong with being Muggle-born!"

Harry looks at me. "Please don't let him corrupt you, Emmalina."

"Corrupt her? I'm not the one letting my little sister near filthy Mudbloods!" Draco exclaims, disgust colouring his voice. My sister makes a noise and his face softens and he, his voice considerably lower, murmurs, "Sorry, glancing down at me. I give him a reassuring smile that he returns before I look ahead at the three in front of us.

The rest of the walk is uneventful; meaning that nobody says anything to upset anyone else. When we get to the school, I'm immediately impressed by the sprawling castle. I hear a noise next to me and look over to see my sister's eyes open and filled with surprise. Draco gently puts her on her feet and she sways for a moment before reaching for me. I pull her to me and wrap my arms around her. When she finally pulls back she looks at my shoulder, where Shade had crawled when Ella got close, and smiles before turning her eyes on mine.

"How long, how bad, and what the bloody hell have you done to my sister?" She demands. I laugh and decide to talk.

"About half an hour, your worst yet, and Draco offered so I decided to trust him." Her eyes narrow and she turns to Draco.

"I don't know why my sister is suddenly nice and talkative but I swear, if you hurt a hair on her head I _will _make you rue the day you were born. I don't break my word and that, my friend, is a promise." Did I mention my sister could be almost a scary as me if she has reason? No? Well, she can. Sure enough, Draco's eyes widen.

"I've no intention of hurting her. You're brother, maybe, but not Lena." I smile and my sister opens her mouth to say something but is interrupted by the doors of the castle opening. I turn and see a man in a long black cloak with black, greasy hair and a long, hooked nose standing in the doorway. Damn, a teacher. Well, time to work my charm. I step forward and he fixes his narrow eyes on me.

"Hello sir, I'm Emmalina Elliot. Obviously, I'm new here. I'm assuming you're a teacher, correct?"

"I am." He answers in a slow, slightly nasal voice, suspicion dripping from his words.

"May I ask what subject you teach sir?"

"This year, Defence Against the Dark Arts but I used to teach potions." He answers, suspicion lessened slightly and replaced with pride.

"Wonderful! Those, including transfiguration, are the ones I've been looking forward to the most!" I tell him honestly. He raises an eyebrow and I continue, changing the subject. "And sir, I must say, I really am sorry for our lateness. I know it's no excuse but, you see, my twin sister is terribly sick and she had an episode. Draco, Harry and his friends were just trying to help us. Really, it's my fault we're late." I give him an apologetic look and he straightens and moves away from the door.

"You've already missed the sorting and most of the feast but you should be there in time for dessert." He tells us. I smile at him.

"Thank you!" I take my sister's hand and we start forward. I think of something and stop. "Sir? I don't believe I got your name..."

"Professor Snape." He answers. I give him another smile and he nods and walks away. We go to the dining hall and Draco stops outside the doors.

"Have you two been sorted?" He asks, turning to us. I shake my head and he says, "Well then, I guess you can sit where you want then."

"With Harry." Ella answers immediately.

"But-"

She cuts me off. "He's our brother. Until Dumbledore tells us otherwise, we'll sit with him." She spins on her heels and goes through the doors with Harry, Hermione and Ron. I sigh and shoot Draco an apologetic look before following them reluctantly. We go to the table on the far right, farthest from the door... Of course. By the time we get to our seats, everyone is straining for a look at us and I can hear the questions.

_Who are they?_

_They look like Potter..._

_I've never seen them._

_Are they new?_

_They CAN'T be first years._

And so on. After telling Harry, Ron and Hermione to say nothing yet, we turn to our meals and ignore the questions. Finally, Dumbledore steps up and the room falls silent.

**(*that in bold comes from the book and belongs to JKR, not me.*)**

**"Now, to our new students, welcome, to our old students, welcome back! Another year full of magical education awaits you..." **He goes on saying a lot of things that have no meaning to me so I tune him out. Then, however, my sister nudges my arm and I focus again. "...first time in the history of Hogwarts," he's in the middle of saying, "I am pleased to say that we have two new additions to our student body, entering as 5th years." Instantly, the attention is back on my sister and I as Dumbledore calls us up and I hand Shade to Hermione, who's sitting on my left (Ella on my right). We stand, and my sister walks slowly, still recovering from her attack, and clings to my arm, so I'm forced to endure prolonged torture..

When we get up there, Dumbledore conjures two stools and we sit. Another teacher brings out an old wizard's hat -seriously. I swear I'm not joking. It really is a bloody wizard hat.- and brings it to us.

"What's your name?" She asks me quietly.

"Emmalina Elliot. My sister is Eleanora."

Emmalina Elliot!" She calls out to the waiting students before putting the hat on me. I frown but decide to just go with it.

"Hmmm, you've plenty of courage, loyalty, wit, persistence... You'd do well in all four houses... Perhaps, - no, not Hufflepuff. Plenty of cunning and bravery... Probably Gryffindor or Slytherin..."

_I want to be with my sister._ I think, letting all my memories of her scroll through my mind.

"Your sister eh? Well... It'll have to be... GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouts the last part so everyone can hear and the Gryffindor table goes wild. It had taken over a minutes' deliberation. My eyes, as the hat is taken from my head, find Draco right away. I can't read the expression on his face but he mouths just one word.

_Sorry._

I give him a small smile and turn to look at my sister. The teacher waits for the cheers to die down before calling out, "Eleanora Elliot!" The hat barely touches her head before saying "GRYFFINDOR!" causing Ella to beam. The teacher tells us to stay put for a moment before taking the hat and leaving and Ella scoots her chair closer to mine and hugs my arm. I smile at her and she gives me a you-WILL-tell-me-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-later look and I nod. I turn my attention to Dumbledore as he begins to speak.

"Students! What I am about to say next is very shocking and I ask that you stay silent until I'm done. You all, I'm sure, know Harry Potter. Well, these twin girls are his long-lost kid sisters!" Uproar immediately erupts and it takes several minutes for him to quiet the room again. "Students! Onto a much more pressing matter.** Now, as everybody in this Hall knows, Lord Voldemort and his followers are once more at large and gaining in strength**."

My sister whispers, "Who's Lord Voldemort?"

"The guy who killed Lily and James and gave Harry his scar." I answer.

"Oh." She says simply. After Harry had told me about Voldemort, I'd forbidden him and the others to tell my sister anything. This is why. I can feel her struggling to stay calm and quiet. I pull my arm out of her grasp and put it around her shoulders instead and she leans into me. Dumbledore continues.

**"I cannot emphasize strongly enough how dangerous the present situation is., and how much care each of us at Hogwarts must take to ensure that we remain safe. The castle's magical fortifications have been strengthened over the summer, we are protected in new and more powerful ways but we still must guard scrupulously against carelessness on the part of any student or member of staff. I urge you, therefore, to abide by any security restrictions that your teachers might impose upon you, however irksome you might find them - in particular the rule that you are not to be out of bed after hours. I implore you, should you notice anything strange or suspicious within or outside the castle, to report it to a member of staff immediately. I trust you to conduct yourselves, always, with the utmost regard for your own and others' safety.**" He pauses for a moment before saying, in a lighter tone, "**But now, your beds await, as warm and comfortable as you could possibly wish, and I know that your top priority is to be well rested for your lessons tomorrow. Let us therefore say good night. Pip pip!**"

We stand, along with the rest of the students and I move my grip so her hand is in mine. Ignoring everyone. Hermione gives me Shade and we follow her, Harry, Ron and Ginny (who is, apparently, in our year) to the Gryffindor common room. We climb in through the portrait and Ella yawns, her eyelids drooping. Ginny shows us to our room and we find, to my surprise, that our trunks are at the foots of our beds already. She leaves, sensing we'd prefer to be alone, and my sister gets in her night-clothes and climbs into bed. Mine is closest to the wall, then hers, then Ginny's, then the rest of the girls. I follow my sister's example and Shade curls up against my chest.

I fall asleep thinking of Draco.

* * *

**A/N: Sooooo, sorry for Draco being so OOC, all the guys I know act really different around girls they like so I was going off that. I really didn't expect to get a chapter out this fast (I was thinking Saturday...) but I just want to tell you, I NEED REVIEWS. I didn't get any reviews for the last chapter (if I did, I didn't get an email for it) and I won't keep posting if I don't get any this time. I even accept flames because they tell me what I'm doing wrong!**


	6. The Dream

**A/N: Sorry for the delay guys, my friends are all mentally insane and have no idea how to deal with their own problems so, between school work and fixing all of my friend's problems, I've had little to no time to write...**

**Anyway, lots of drama in this chapter... Please read the A/N at the end...**

* * *

_The cold steel of the black-handled knife bites into my palm. I ignore the pain and hold my hand over the bubbling cauldron. I let exactly 7 drops of blood fall into the liquid, turning it a thick, deep black, before pulling my hand away. I say a spell, without my wand, and my wound heals. I transfer the proper amount into a medium-sized potion bottle and whisper charms and curses over it. I tap the cauldron with my finger and it's contents clear. I tuck the potion away and turn to where they anxiously wait._

_"All of you wait for the potion that will give your master the ability to kill Harry Potter," I call to them, "and I have made such a concoction. However I've not yet gotten MY end of the bargain. I only have one bottle of this potion and I've enchanted it so it only works if I give the bottle to the user of my own free will. You all know what I want and I sure as hell intend to get it."_

_The scene fades and I hear a hissing voice inside my head. "This is the future child. I can give you whatever your heart desires. All you have to do, is_ bring me the boy."

* * *

I wake up within seconds of Ella, as I always do, and get ready before any of the other girls are up. I try to shake the strange dream from my head. Collecting our wands, after I shove a couple clean cloths in my cloak, for when Ella has another attack, my sister and I go to the common room, Shade in my arms.

When we get there, we find Harry, Ron and Hermione whispering about something important looking. Ella, seemingly, doesn't notice and sits next to Hermione and I, grudgingly, next to her. They stop their conversation and Crookshanks, Hermione's mean, orange tabby, hops out of her arms and makes his way over Ella to check out Shade. I hold her tighter to me and look up as I hear my name... I get the sense Hermione said it more than once. I tilt my head to tell her that I'm listening.

"Ron asked you why Malfoy was being so nice to you," Hermione tells me, "he's _never_ nice." Instead of answering, I take my wand out and point it up the stairs, at the door to the 5th year girl dormitory. A few seconds later, it opens and a quill, ink, and parchment fly toward us. Setting my wand on the table, I grab the things out of the air and quickly write:

_"He seems nice enough to me. You guys know I don't trust people easily and yet I instinctively trusted him to carry Eleanora."_

"Why though? You wouldn't have trusted me, your own brother, to do it." Harry points out.

_"You're right, I wouldn't have. That, however, is beside the point. Why do you three hate him so much?"_

"Does it really matter?" My sister interjects, looking at Harry. "I mean, are you so attached to your hatred that you can't even see that he likes her and she, him?"

"What?!" Harry, Ron and Hermione exclaim in unison. I blush scarlet and become very interested in Shade as all three turn their eyes to me.

"No." Harry says, "Maybe he fancies her but there's no way she can like that b-"

"Harry!" Hermione exclaims.

"-limey idiot!" He finishes quickly, changing his mind mid-word.

_"Maybe,"_ I write,_ "it's none of your business whom I do or don't like."_

"I'm your brother, I have a right to know it you're going to date one of my worst enemies!" Harry tells me, standing up. I practically feel my eyes flash and it's confirmed when Harry stumbles back a step. Thinking of my dream, I stand slowly, wand in hand.

"You are _not_ my _brother_." I tell him in the a slow tone. The darkest in my arsenal. This is the tone I used to scare away the man who- I stop my train of thought, my moment of hesitation so miniscule none of them notice, and continue my sentence, voice slow and scary as hell. "You are merely a boy with whom my infantile sister is obsessed with. You mean _nothing_ to me. You are not the_ 'chosen one', _merely a child whose mother was_ stupid _enough to die for him." I take a step closer, mind flashing to the voice I'd heard, and lower my voice to barely a whisper, "And what Voldemort doesn't know is that he doesn't need_ your_ blood to kill you," I pause and lower my voice to a real whisper and lean forward until I'm speaking right next to his ear. "He needs mine. Don't give me any reason to help him, Potter, because I've no trouble doing so." And with that, I turn on my heel and leave the common room without waiting for Ella. By the time she catches up to me, I'm outside the doors of the main hall. She grabs my arms and spins me around to face her.

"What the hell! He IS our brother Emmalina!" I flinch at the use of my full name. She NEVER uses it. Never.

I sigh. "You're my sister. My ONLY sibling. I honestly don't care what you have to say about him. I hate him and, whether you like it or not, that will never change."

"Fine but what did you whisper to him? He turned white and, when you left, he ran to his dorm without a second glance."

"I merely told him what would happen if he didn't leave me alone." I reply, my voice hard.

Her eyes widen. "I can't believe you would ostracize him after everything he's done for us. He's our_ brother_-"

"Stop saying that!" I yell at her. She takes a step back in surprise; I never yell at her. "Why don't you just run along to your _brother_," I spat out the word, ice dripping from my voice, "and except the fact that your little fantasy world isn't as perfect as you think it is!" By my last word, Ella's eyes are saturated with unshed tears. She involuntarily lets one slowly roll down her cheeks and my heart breaks as the anger drains out of me.

"Ella, I-"

"No, I get it. It's fine..." She whispers; pain saturating her quiet, silken voice; turning away from me. I watch her as she walks away, too stunned even to cry.

* * *

**A/N: Short chapter, I know, but it just seemed like the point to stop... ANYWAY, that scene was based off of a fight my sister and I had once and, afterwards, I felt so guilty I couldn't function for the rest of the day.**

**IMPORTANT!: Throughout these chapters, I've been dropping hints as too 1) What kind of sickness Ella has and 2) The girls' past. And so I ask: What hard-to-cure disease is Ella burdened with? What happened to the girls that is so bad that Nessie/Emma can't even allow herself to think of it? If you have any ideas as to what the answers to these are, please PM me or review. If ONE PERSON gets one or the other right, I'll update on Friday**.


	7. Crying

**A/N: Sorry for the delay my dear (if few) readers! I was about halfway through the chapter when I came up with an AMAZING idea. (At least I THINK it's amazing…) There's something DRASTICALLY different about this chapter and I'll name it in the bottom A/N so PLEASE read that. You should totally review because it's really hard to write in English but I'm doing it anyway because I love you guys and I'm pretty sure half of you don't know German so… Yeah… Anyway, here's your chapter, hope you like it :)**

* * *

We get to Defense against the Dark Arts and Ron, Hermione, Harry, my sister and I claim a table in the middle of the Gryffindor side of the room as soon as we enter the classroom. My sister immediately pulls out a Muggle notebook and pen and starts drawing a random, but beautiful, pattern of swirls, lines and dots.

When Professor Snape gets the room's attention, she doesn't look up. Snape tells us something about silent whatever and goes on about God-knows-what. It takes three times before I realize he's talking to us.

"I'm sorry, what?" I ask, startled. The class laughs.

"I said," Snape tells me, "that I assume you and your twin will want to work together?"

I freeze.

My sister freezes.

Her hand falters in its pattern across the once-white page.

She pauses.

Her pattern picks up again.

Not once, not ONE TIME at all, did my sister look up.

"I-I," I stutter, "I-if you d-don't mind P-professor, I'd like to w-work with H-hermione…" My voice is barely above a whisper and I try to pretend I don't notice when my sister flinches.

Violently.

"Alright…" Snape says slowly, noting her reaction to my quiet, nervous words. She shuts her notebook quickly, shoves her things in her bag and, head down, without looking at anyone, she flees the room.

Without me.

The rest of the class passes with all of us avoiding the topic of my pissed-off, hurt beyond belief, sister who, at the moment, is probably in tears at the moment. As soon as class ends, I run to the dorms at top speed, not bothering to be careful.

I get to mine and my twin's dorm and open the door carefully. I see my sister.

Curled up on her bed.

Her iPod blasting Evanescence at top volume.

Eyes squeezed shut.

Arms clutched around the stuffed bunny that she only brought out when she was in too much pain to handle.

Shaking.

Covers drawn.

Crying.

My heart breaks in two and I slowly walk over to her, kneeling by her head. I gently reach forward and wipe away a tear that's making its way down her beautiful, perfect, angelic face. Her eyes stay closed but she turns over in her bed, murmuring go away in her smooth, silken, quiet voice. I climb up in the bed with her and wrap my arm around her waist. She stiffens for a moment before relaxing into me.

We fit perfectly together.

Over the next several minutes, I manage to coax her into giving up her iPod, opening her eyes, and turning around to face me. I open my mouth to apologize but she cuts me off.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the short chapter… I needed to stop here for a REASON. I promise.**

**Okay. So, obviously, my writing style was different in this. I used shorter paragraphs, less descriptions, choppier sentences, less pronouns, a *slight* obsession with describing her sister's perfection, etc. Some of you may have guessed the reasoning of this already but for those of you who haven't:**

**THIS IS IN ELLA'S P.O.V.**

**So, PLEASE tell me what you're thinking. Hate it? Love it? Want me to write more chapters like this? Want to crucify me? Whatever your opinion is, PLEASE tell me! I WELCOME flames. They tell me what I did wrong and how I can improve.**

**With love,**

**Kari**


	8. Crying 2

**A/N: This is my favorite chapter so far, I must admit. What makes this one so special, you ask?**

**It's chapter 7 in Nessie's POV.**

**So, please, tell me which one you like better.**

**Chapter Song: Hello by Evanescence. (I'm interpreting it, instead of the death of a sister, as more of a "IF I lose her, I'll die." kind of thing… Plus, it's the song Nessie's listening to.)**

* * *

When we; Ella, Harry, Hermione, Ron and I; get to Defense against the Dark Arts, my eyes sweep the ominous room in the way I've trained them to do. I see the Slytherins and, by extension, Draco. A brilliant smile lights up his face when he sees me but his features fall when he catches my expression. I mouth Ella's name and he flicks to her, seeing her laughing at something Ron said. His eyes harden and he looks at the empty seat at his table. I flash him an apologetic smile as the five of us sit at a table in the unofficial Gryffindor side of Snape's classroom. We sit down and I pull out a spiral notebook and black Calligraphy pen, turn to a blank, and start drawing a series of uncomplicated circles, loops, dots, and swirls.

I listen to the Professor's voice as he tells us about the mechanics of casting silent spells but, as I'm already well-learned about the subject, I don't pay much attention.

He says my sister's name three times before I feel her jump and say, "I'm sorry, what?" and I can all but feel as she goes bright red.

"I said," Professor Snape tells her in an irritated voice, "that I assume you and your twin will want to work together?"

Ella and I both freeze when he says that and my hand falters in my pattern. I can feel my sister looking at me with the same clarity that I can feel the pen in my hand. Said pen begins moving upon the page once more, after a short pause, and Ella answers Snape without noticing my reaction.

"I-I," She whispers, "I-if you d-don't mind P-professor, I'd like to w-work with H-hermione…"

I flinch, causing a think black line to cut across the page.

Eleanora doesn't even notice.

"Alright…" Snape replies slowly, obviously having noted my reaction. Pain floods through me and I feel tears prick up in my eyes. Within seconds, I've pack my bag and fled to my room and curl up on my bed after getting my iPod and blasting Evanescence at top volume. I squeeze my eyes shut and clench my arms around the stuffed bunny, Snowy, that I only bring out when I can't handle what's happening to me. I draw the covers around myself and feel my body start to shake as sobs rack through my body.

After who-knows-how-long, I hear the door open and Ella's familiar breathing reaches my ears. When she kneels next to me and wipes a tear from my cheeks, I tell her to go away and I turn over in the bed. I stiffen as she climbs on the bed with me and wraps an arm around me.

We fit perfectly together.

It takes her ten minutes but she manages to convince me to turn over and take my headphones out. I cut her off as she opens her mouth to speak.

* * *

**A/N: So, my lovelies, please, please, please tell me what you think! Should I do more chapters in Ella's POV or did you like Nessie's better? What do you think about their twinly awesomeness? I actually modeled these two off how MY twin sister and I used to be. For 5 reviews I'll tells you guys who MY persona would be :)**


	9. Cl-Hr

**A/N: Hey, guys, I'm sorry for my erratic updating schedule but I have a lot of stuff to deal with lately and I've had barely any time to write but that should change soon so you can expect faster updates. As my friend once said, "Reviews are love and everyone needs love."**

* * *

The next day, Ella and I wake up and go down to breakfast. We sit together at the table and she completely ignores the others and, instead, she steals my sketch book, flips to a new page, and proceeds to mock the level of concentration that I apparently have on my face when I draw. I roll my eyes but laugh at her antics none-the-less.

It being Saturday and both of us having an unreasonable amount of homework, we return to the dorm and get everything out when we're done with our meal. By the time Ron, Harry and Hermione get back, I already have two-and-a-half pages for my Defense Against the Dark Arts essay.

"Hey guys!" My sister greets them, "Sorry we left so fast but Ness wanted to get in a few hours of studying. It's a good thing too, she's already halfway done with her paper for Snape."

"What?!" Ron exclaims, "You weren't even there when he assigned it! And it's not even due until Friday!"

I smirk and look up at him, choosing to heed my sisters earlier request to be nicer to the trio, whether I like them or not. "If you get your things out, I'll help you with yours." I turn back to my parchment and continue writing while I say, "Harry and Hermione, that goes for you too. Although, Hermione, I'm guessing you don't need it." Shocked silence follows my words and then Harry and Ron dash upstairs while the dark-haired witch says that she may as well do her homework while the boys are distracted.

For the next four hours, the five of us work. I end up sitting on the floor between Harry and Ron so I can't help both of them at once; and so I can make sure they don't copy me or each other. When we finally break for lunch, all of us had finished all of our homework (mostly due to myself and Hermione who, to my relief, has an intelligence that is nearly equivalent to that of my own), we clean up and walk down to the mess hall. Before we get there, however, we see Snape heading toward Draco who's laughing loudly at something one of his friends said. I call out the professor's name and break off from my own little group, telling them to stay there. Snape turns at his name and Draco sends me a relieved look.

"Professor," I begin when I'm close enough to him that I don't have to raise my voice at all, "I apologise for running out like that yesterday. There really is no good explanation for my behaviour except the fact that I could not control my emotions. I'll make sure it does not happen again, Sir."

He's quiet for a moment before answering with, "Miss Granger has been trying to kiss up for years and it hasn't worked. If that, Miss Elliot, is what you're trying to do, it's not going to get you anything but a detention." I can tell that he's expecting me to back down, as is everyone watching, (Harry, Hermione, Ron, Draco and his two friends.)

To the surprise of all the aforementioned parties, I let out a genuine laugh. "Sir," I begin, "if I were trying to win you over, you'd be able to tell. I really am a horrid liar, just ask my sister."

"She is." Ella adds from behind me.

Professor Snape lowers his voice so only I can hear it. "10 points to Gryffindor for fearlessness. Also, come to my classroom after you finish your lunch."

"Yes, Sir." I reply, forcing myself not to smile at the implausibility of the situation.

"Oh, and, Miss Elliot, leave your familiar and sister behind." He tells me, glancing down at the black kitten in my arms.

"Okay, Sir." I laugh, before turning away and walking to Draco. He offers to take Shade from me and I let him, smiling as the cat immediately sinks her claws into Draco's robes. I walk with him and I hear Ella hit Harry when he complains about me walking with "the Enemy."

As we walk, Draco questions me about what happened the day before and I simply say, "As I told the professor, I couldn't control my emotions." He doesn't ask again.

* * *

After lunch I tell my sister to cover for me because I have something very important to do. Of course, the girl agrees without question, as I'd do for her if she asked for the same. I quickly make my way through the castle, having already committed the routes to my teacher's classrooms to memory, and arrive at Snape's room within minutes. I walk up to the door and see that it's already open to reveal the Professor leaning over a piece of parchment, his quill moving across the page.

"Professor?" I say quietly, announcing my presence.

"Miss Elliot, you seem to not be completely hopeless like most of the blunder-heads your age," he replies, stopping what he's doing to stand and walk around his desk. Leaning against it, he says, "so answer me this; why waste your time with Granger and that Potter boy?"

Though I don't see the point to his question, I answer anyway. "Well, Sir," I say, "my sister likes him because she believes that blood automatically makes him our brother and I love Ella so I figure making her happy is a fair exchange for having to put up with that idiot and his ginger pet. However, though Hermione is annoying, it's a nice change to be around someone who intelligence nearly matches my own."

He looks stunned for a split second before schooling his features. "You are friends with those three and yet you felt the need to rescue Mr. Malfoy from me?"

I laugh. "Well, you did look very menacing, Sir. And Draco looked as if he'd had a bad day. Besides, I really _did_ want to apologize…"

"Very well. There is another matter to discuss. The headmaster has asked me to inform you that you are to report to the main hall at 9 o'clock tonight for a special meeting with the teachers. He specifically asked that you bring your twin as well."

I think it through and then hesitantly ask, "Who else will be there, Sir? I must admit I do not trust Professor Dumbledore enough to allow my sister alone with him, even if I'm with her…"

He gives me a strange look. "He will harm neither you nor your sister, Miss Elliot."

"I'm sure you're right," I answer, my eyes now glued to the floor, "however I refuse to take the chance. She knows better but sometimes it is out of her control."

"Miss Elliot, what is this nonsense? You're speaking as though you've had a befuddlement charm placed upon you. You have far more important things to worry about than Albus Dumbledore"

"I'm sorry, Professor, I'm just trying to think of my sister here. You may not have noticed but she freezes every time you, the Headmaster, Mr. Filch; pretty much _any_ adult male; comes within five feet of her. She's afraid. Not just of you, Sir, and not because you terrify most students. I cannot tell you why she's afraid; I swore I wouldn't; but I KNOW you can figure it out if you think."

He opens his mouth to respond when a voice says, "Oh! There you are Miss Emmalina!" I cringe at my name and turn to see Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, hovering in the doorway. His eyes are filled with a sense of urgency. I'm aware of Snape watching me as my expression hardens and I get an evil look on my face. I practically feel my eyes turn to eyes as they go cold and hard and in a voice full of barely contained rage, I demand of the ghost, "Where is she?" His eyes widen and he shudders before informing me that she's been coughing for several minutes and that copious amounts of blood has been extricated and that "young Mr. Potter" demanded that Nick retrieve me. I repeat my question and he answers, "The library, Miss, but-" I don't hear the rest. I push past Snape, barely aware of the fact that I hit his shoulder on the way, and sprint to the library, Snape behind me.

When I arrive, I cast a silent, wandless spell to open the door without stopping. Seeing Harry cradling my sister as she violently coughs up more blood, I thunder, "MOVE!" His eyes widen and I slide to my knees and pull a cloth out of my robes to press to her mouth. After I pull her in my lap, I rock her back and forth, smooth down her hair and murmur comforting words to her. After about thirty seconds, Ella's eyes finally slide shut and she goes limp.

"There's a good girl, Elsie." I whisper, using her old childhood nickname. I gently lay her down the whirl around, pulling my wand out and pointing it at Harry, not caring that Snape is hovering a few feet away.

"You WILL tell me everything that transpired her or I swore on your on my sister's life that I will hex those off." I lower my wand to point at the area of his body that houses the male genitalia to prove my point. Harry's eyes widen and flicker over my shoulder. I hear a sigh from behind me.

"Miss Elliot, as amusing as that would be to watch, as a teacher, I cannot allowed you to do that." Snape tells me. Without lowering my wand or regarding the consequences, I respond, "Well, let's hope Potter speaks quickly, then."

* * *

**A/N: CLIFFHANGER! Okay, not really… But I'm reading House of Hades by Rick Riordan and his author's note at the beginning says, "To my wonderful readers: Sorry about that last cliff-hanger. Well, no, not really. HAHAHAHA. But seriously, I love you guys." I shit you not, he even put the HAHAHAHA part in there… Whatever, a short chapter with a cliffhanger 2 days later is better than a long chapter 2 months later… Right? *Ducks as rotten tomatoes are thrown* Damn, you guys have really good aim…**

**Anyway, so, according to ( ), I'm being confusing with names and such so here's a list of all their nicknames for each other and the pronunciations for the ones you guys may not know.**

**Emmalina** (em-muh-lee-na) **Evanessa** (eh-vuh-ness-uh)** Elliot**:

Nessie (ness-ee)

Ness

Emma

Eva (ev-uh; like "Evan" but without the "n")

Lena (lee-nuh)

**Eleanora** (ell-ee-uh-nora) **Evangelina** (ee-van-juh-lee-nuh) **Elliot**:

Ella

Elsie (ell-see)

Nora

Evie (ee-vee)


	10. Testing

**A/N: The first half of this is more emotional and it'll be told in Ella's POV but the second part requires analytical inquiry and, as such, it'll be in Nessie's POV.**

* * *

**Ella's POV**

I wake up to my Nessie's voice.

"Thank you, Professor, but she's waking up, if she sees you carrying her…"

That's when I notice my sister's arms aren't what I feel around me.

I open my eyes and look up.

It's Professor Snape.

Fear flashes through me like a bright light, blinding me.

I whimper.

He puts me down and I turn away and my sister wraps her arms around my shoulders. She's there for me. Of course. She always is.

"It's okay, Ella, he won't hurt you. I promise. I won't let him."

I pull back to look at her and see steely determination. I feel myself stop shaking and my face moves to copy hers, even my eyes harden until we're identical in every physical way. She smiles at me and takes my hand, leading me forward.

"Come on Evie. We're gonna go meet Dumbledore."

"Why?"

"I don't know… Professor Snape won't tell me."

I look at the Professor but once I catch his eye, I drop mine to the floor and stutter the question, just like yesterday in class.

"W-why?"

"You'll find out soon enough, Miss Elliot."

At his voice, a shudder rolls through me and Nessie squeezes my hand.

We get to the Great Hall and Snape pushes open the door to let us in.

Ice freezes my veins when I look in the room, half-hidden behind Nessie, and see all the people. Six men I've never seen as well as my professors; Snape for DADA, Slughorn for Potions, McGonagall for Transfiguration, Flitwick for Charms, etc.; and the Headmaster, Dumbledore. My hands take Nessie's upper-arm in a comforting (for me) vice-like grip.

She doesn't even flinch, though it would have had me in tears.

"Why are we here?" She asks them, voice hard, leaving no choice but to answer.

A tall, black man steps forward from the group, I whimper and bury my head in my sister's shoulder, and she takes a step back, taking me with her.

"For official purposes," I hear him say, "please state your full names, age, and state of blood."

State of blood? What the fuck?

My sister, of course, knows the answer.

"Emmalina Evanessa Elliot; 15; Muggle-raised half-blood."

"And you, child?"

I raise my head a little to see him gazing at me, waiting for an answer.

"E-E-E-El-Elea-" I stutter, unable to steady my voice as Nessie can, even though I can sense that she's just as terrified as me.

"Eleanora Evangelina Elliot; Muggle-raised half-blood and my twin sister." She answers for me.

* * *

**Nessie's POV**

"Eleanora Evangelina Elliot; Muggle-raised half-blood and my twin sister." I answer for my stuttering sister, taking pity on the poor child. My eyes sweep the room as I appraise the situation to the best of my abilities. Around the great hall, there are tables, spaced evenly throughout, with a different set of items starting every other one. The closest four are the only ones I can see clearly and, on the first two, there are several random items; such as a teapot, a matchstick, a small child's broom, etc.; and the next two have a cauldron with at least 50 different ingredients beside each one.

Fifteen people, only one of them female, are grouped in front of myself and my Ella. Eight of them are mine and my sister's teachers, one is Dumbledore, and the remaining six are obviously Ministry of Magic officials. The tall, colored man that had stepped forward to speak with us is none other than Kingsley Shacklebolt, whom, as Mrs. Weasley secretly told me, has been charged with making sure no harm comes to us. The other five, I know not of their identities.

From the evidence gathered, we're to be tested on our magical abilities in each subject while the data is given directly to the Ministry in order to avoid mishap.

"Ness…" I hear Ella whisper to me. I look forward again and see that Shacklebolt is in the middle of a sentence. I tune in without exposing my analytic inquiry.

"…series of tasks designed to test skills in all of the subjects. Some of the tests are things first years learn and some are things that the average Ministry worker would be clueless of. If you find you don't know something or can't do something, simply try your best."

"When will we get the results?" I ask him, feeling that Ella's growing curiosity is almost outshining her fear. Almost.

"Could be minutes, could be days. It depends on how you do." Another official answers. My eyes sweep the room once more before focusing, again, on Shacklebolt.

"Our teachers," I inquire, "will they be the ones testing us?"

"Mostly." He answers vaguely. I decide to leave it at that and nod.

McGonagall is the one to test my sister, as we find out a few minutes later. I look at Professor Snape and tilt my head slightly to the side in question. He keeps his eyes straight ahead but nods nonetheless and I allow a small smirk before focusing on the matter at hand. I, having shown no aversion to men, had all males testing me; however, they soon noticed the way I would tense every time one came close and learned to give me at least five feet of space.

Over the next several hours, my sister an I are subjected to a number of tests from levitating 3000 lbs statues (which my sister was unable to do yet I mastered immediately) to transfiguring a matchstick into a purely black rat (again, Ella couldn't but I did with ease).

Now, we're on the last round of tasks: potions. I was right; there are 50 different ingredients laid out in bountiful quantities

With a cauldron and five crystal vials. Our task is to brew five potions in five hours; two easy ones, a Forgetfulness Potion and a Sleeping Draught, and three extremely advanced ones, Amortentia (a love potion), Felix Felicis (a luck potion), and a Hate Potion (which shows the taker's worst traits and habits.) Ella and I are told that this is our last text and that we are to go directly to bed afterward. As it will be Sunday tomorrow, we won't have to get up for classes.

I save the most difficult, in my opinion, for last; Amortentia.

_5 vanilla beans, 7 frozen ashwinder eggs, 1 oz. rose oil, 3 belladonna seeds…_

The ingredients run through my mind and I make short work of it. When Snape informs us that we have 10 minutes left, I add the finishing touches; adding the pearl, watching it dissolve then stirring once clockwise then once more counter-clockwise; and watch as it turns the desired color. I pour some into a crystal vial. I use my wand to clear my station and step back to wait for my sister, quiet due to the fatigue steadily adding weights to my eyes lids. We've been here for roughly eight hours. I close my eyes for a minute, listening intently to my sister huff in annoyance as she messes something up; she's never been good with potions and I'M the one that used all of summer memorizing Hermione's old school books and my current ones. Ella's just said she's done, finally, when I feel my head spin. I open my eyes and try to call my sister's name but all that comes out is a gasp. She whirls around just as I fall to my knees, the world going black.

* * *

**A/N: Hahahahahahahaha, yeahhh I'm mean. No, actually, it's 11:02 right now and I REALLY don't want to write anymore so I just decided to stop here and post it now...**

**Thank you to sweetboi1016 for Amortentia recipe.**


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